Konner was looking forward to learning more about his family heritage. What he found was his entire life was a lie.

Even the worst mistakes can be forgiven

Konner O’Flattery, a passionate amateur genealogist, has finally gotten back the results of the DNA test he took. He’s been waiting months to uncover what mysteries his DNA has locked inside. But his results aren’t anything like he expected, and he unearths a secret buried since birth. His heart becomes shattered leaving no room for forgiveness. Now, Konner feels compelled to go on a journey to find the truth of who and what he truly is.

Through the miracles of modern technology, Konner meets his distant cousin, Aaron Kirschenbaum. Turns out, he knows exactly who Aaron is, yet they’ve never met. Aaron makes the girls and boys alike swoon from his stunning good looks and velvety voice. Unfortunately, he’s picked up a bad habit of abusing his status for his own personal gain.

Konner’s story pulls on the strings of Aaron’s heart. So, he offers to help Konner, in any way he possibly can. Aaron finds Konner to be incredibly attractive, so the two men are swept up into an intense romance filled with sensuous heat and passion.

Distant Cousins is Eric Huffbind’s second published novel, a Contemporary Gay Male Romance. Take a journey with Konner as he finds heartbreak, intrigue, love, passion, and the importance of forgiveness. If you want to rekindle the euphoric high of falling in love, Distant Cousins is the book for you.

64,000 words / No cliff hanger / HEA
This book is intended for mature audiences

The good news: if your taste runs to light, gay erotica, replete with plot twists, this may be just the novel for you. The characters are minimally complex, and the fairly direct story line is delivered in a simple writing style which will not strain the intellect.

But, now, the bad news: while reviewers are always seeking for a Holy Grail in literature – a book that will so impress as to be permanently etched in memory – sadly, it’s not this one! Nonetheless, kudos to the BLURB for reasonably setting our expectations and introducing a book which can still be a fast and fun read.

At 30, Konner is the oldest son in a large Irish-American family. Openly gay, he is described as very hot and enjoying an active sex life. Nonetheless, Konner has reached the point in his life where he is looking beyond mere hookups. His story starts with a DNA reveal that shapes the entire the plot. It brings Konner together with a distant relative, Aaron, who, coincidentally, is also a very hot gay man. And, despite being both very popular and successful, Aaron, too, is tired of men who only want to engage him in sex, while having little interest in his soul.

The heroes’ interaction in seeking out the background to Konner’s birth is nicely interspersed with graphically detailed sexual interludes. Author Huffbind douses the book with enough purple prose to satisfy most one-handed readers! The fan of this genre will surely respond to “pectorals covered in chest hair . . . (leading to arousal of) . . . an almost unbearable peak.” Or, “F–k – that is one huge d–k.” Mr Huffbind is not stingy in using hyperbolic references, such as “wanton advances” between our heroes. He generously strews awesome descriptions of body parts or their usages (examples: “huge erection”; “growing manhood”; “giant, hard shaft”; “full mast”; ”furry . . . .” Well, you get the point.) If you like your storyline well-heated and explicit, you likely won’t be disappointed.

The plot constantly experiences unexpected peaks and levels, keeping much to type. And also true to the tearful aspects of the romantic / soap opera genre, beside the main characters periodically crying, at some point the reader is also likely to need that tired one-hand for tissues. [Okay. Admission. Even this reviewer had to stop every now and then to dry his own eyes. That aspect is the book’s best redemption and saving grace.]

To occupy our respective refraction times, additionally an almost excessively educational aspect is presented in this novel, well-placed within the flow of the story. When you are done, you will know much about the science of genealogy and how we are related to each other. You will also get a basic introduction to Judaism. At the conclusion of the novel book, you may be minimally conversant with keeping kosher, Jewish traditions in naming offspring, and, as a bonus, even learn a few common Yiddish words that are frequently dropped into
colloquial conversation.

One last minor reservation: It seems generally true that, when winding up the story of a convoluted soap opera is much like moving house. Even after the story’s denouement, it seems to take forever to pack, and pack, and pack all the loose odds and ends before, finally, you reach “Ta Da!”

Author

Bob-O-Link

I’m a retired professional. My husband and I, each with an ex-wife, between us have six married children and 10 grandchildren. We both read voraciously, with a strong leaning to gay romance and HEA. Stories with a little (okay, even loads of) sex, and a lot of tears, always pleases.